New York City Council Member Tiffany Cabán Introduces a Resolution Supporting Expansion of Data-Driven Mental Health Program

February 13, 2025

New York City

Today Council Member Tiffany Cabán, along with Council Members Shahana Hanif and Lynn Schulman, introduced a resolution to the New York City Council calling upon the New York State Legislature to introduce and pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation to increase funding for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Teams. 

Council Member Tiffany Cabán released the following statement:  

“We have a proven solution for compassionately treating severe mental illness. Today, we introduced a resolution calling to fully fund that solution. 

New York State must increase funding for Assertive Community Treatment Teams (ACT Teams), an evidence-based, community-oriented, around-the-clock mental health treatment program. 

Assertive Community Treatment Teams (ACT Teams) are a multidisciplinary group of mental health professionals who provide intensive, community-based treatment and support to individuals with severe and persistent mental illnesses, aiming to improve their quality of life by offering services directly in their homes and communities, rather than solely in a clinical setting, often including 24/7 access to support and crisis intervention. 

And it works: ACT Teams help people with severe mental illness become independent and stay in their communities.  

But in November 2022, more than 1,000 New Yorkers, which included 800 individuals with severe mental illness, were waitlisted for treatment slots with an ACT Team. ACT Teams are currently under-resourced and understaffed. The state currently spends only $15.1 million on ACT Teams, a tiny fraction of the Executive Budget. An increase to this budget would have an outsized impact on solving New York’s mental illness and homelessness crisis. 

And it is a crisis: New Yorkers are scared to ride the subways and uncomfortable in their communities when faced with the stark realities of homelessness and severe mental illness. Our neighbors with severe mental illness are suffering without support on our streets. 

It’s time to put our money where our mouth is. This data-driven solution should be funded and scaled to tackle the magnitude of our mental health crisis. We urge New York State to fund new ACT Teams and expand funding to existing ACT Teams, for the health and safety of all New Yorkers.” 

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